1. Field of the Invention
The present invention comprises a telephone set for table-top and wall operation including at least one deposit trough for a handset provided in a stationary housing part at the outside surface thereof, whereby at least one freely accessible cutout is provided in the edge region of this deposit trough, a filling member being securable in said cutout in two use positions, whereby the filling member terminates flush with the deposit trough given use of the telephone set as table-top device, whereas a nose connected thereto of one piece projects beyond the contours of the deposit trough and engages into a receptacle at the handset given use of the telephone set as a wall unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In telephones which are designed to be used both in horizontal as well as in vertical operating position as a table-top as well as a wall unit, a problem for the optimum design of the seating region for the handset on the housing of the stationary device part derives from the different directions in which the force of gravity acts upon the handset when it sets on the base in the two operation positions. The handset should be accepted shock-proof in the cradle of the housing part in each of the two operating positions of the telephone set and, under the influence of the force of gravity, should reliably hold the mechanical actuation element of the cradle switch deflected against its elastic bias. The resting position of the handset on the housing part should be producible in a simple way in both operating positions of the apparatus but, on the other hand, the handset should be capable of being picked up without obstruction in both operating positions of the apparatus.
For example, it is known to provide an apparatus model with one of two differently shaped housing caps dependent on the intended operating position. The difference between the two caps need only relate to the region of the handset depression and can consist, for example, of a rigid collar at the edge of the deposit trough or cradle that projects to a greater or lesser extent.
A housing cap which is the optimum design for wall operation can result in the occurance that when this cap is incorrectly used in a desk set, picking up the handset is significantly more difficult due to the incorrect access direction and could, given a rapid pick-up, lead to the stationary housing part also being pulled up since the stability of the table-top model depends exclusively on the deadweight of the apparatus itself, whereas in the case of the wall model it is governed by the fastening elements that connect the stationary housing part to the wall. The employment of the housing model intended for a table-top unit in a wall telephone, by contrast, can result in an inadequately secure position of the handset in the depression and in an unsatisfactory actuation of the cradle switch. A better solution of the problem is achieved by employing an insert member which is secured in two built-in positions in the region of the deposit trough dependent on the use of the telephone set as a table-top or as a wall unit.
Thus, German OS No. 32 07 824 provides an insert member in the inside of the telephone set which, given table-top use of the telephone set, adapts to the contours of the deposit trough whereas, given wall operation of the telephone set, it has a nose extending through a recess in that edge region of the deposit trough that forms the rest for the handset.
Given this known embodiment, it must be considered disadvantageous, first, that the insert member is screwed to the telephone set, so that a tool in the form of a screwdriver is required for undoing the connection. A further disadvantage is that a change in the built-in position of the insert member respectively requires an additional opening and, after the rebuilding has been carried out, another closing of the telephone set.
This latter disadvantage does not occur given a telephone set as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,591. In this embodiment, a rectangular depression is situated in the region of a deposit trough at the housing part, this rectangular depression serving for the acceptance of the insert member having a nose. However, it must also be deemed disadvantageous in this known arrangement that the insert member is screwed to the telephone set. Strip-shaped or cap-shaped elements are also used in order to cover the screw connection, so that a change in the built-in position of the insert member requires considerable time and assembly outlay.
A telephone set has also been disclosed wherein at least one freely accessible cutout is provided in the region of the deposit trough, the member being capable of being pressed into this cutout in two use positions and being held therein by means of a latch connection.